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With reference to the statement issued by the Council of Ministers Secretariat General on March 8, regarding remote work, it has been decided that work will resume as normal from offices, in accordance with the applicable regulations, effective today, across all ministries, other government entities, and public bodies and institutions.Following this decision, the Qatar Central Bank (QCB) announced that normal office work would resume across all financial institutions operating in the country starting today.In a post on X, the QCB said: "With reference to the statement issued on March 8, 2026 regarding remote work, it has been decided that work will resume as normal from offices in accordance with the applicable regulations, effective Tuesday, March 24, 2026, across all financial institutions operating in the State of Qatar.”Similarly, the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has announced the resumption of normal operations across all its medical facilities and clinics, effective today.For appointments and inquiries, the HMC has urged patients to contact the "Nesma'ak" customer service at 16060 or use the "Lbaih" app.  

Qatar returns to full normal operations today as government ministries, financial institutions, healthcare facilities, courts, and educational institutions all resume regular activities following the Eid Al-Fitr holiday.The Council of Ministers Secretariat General confirmed that all ministries, government entities, and public bodies and institutions will revert to standard in-office arrangements, bringing to an end the remote work provisions announced on March 8, 2026.Qatar Central Bank (QCB) separately confirmed the same effective date for all financial institutions operating in the country, making the announcement via its official X platform.Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) declared the resumption of normal operations across all its medical facilities and clinics.The Supreme Judiciary Council (SJC) resumed receiving litigants' applications at service halls across courts nationwide. Application hours vary by location.The Ministry of Education and Higher Education announced the gradual resumption of in-person classes across educational institutions, with full in-person attendance for all students in schools and kindergartens set to resume next Sunday. The decision, the ministry said, forms part of a phased plan covering all educational levels. In-person care for children, along with the return of administrative and teaching staff at nurseries, beginning today.For kindergartens and public and private schools, students continue remote learning through Thursday, March 26, with administrative and teaching staff back in schools from today to ensure full readiness ahead of Sunday's return. Public school schedules during the remote learning period run from 9am to 12:35pm, comprising five 35-minute periods with two breaks for breakfast and prayer. Private schools have been granted scheduling flexibility, provided classes begin at 9am and the school day does not exceed five hours.At the higher education level, the ministry confirmed the resumption of in-person classes at universities and other higher education institutions in accordance with each institution's approved schedule, a measure that also extends to private educational and training centres.The ministry urged students and staff to follow updates through official channels and adhere to safety and security guidelines to ensure a stable learning environment.Qatar University confirmed the resumption of in-person classes and on-campus work for students, faculty, and administrative staff, citing directives from the competent authorities on the return to normal workplace operations. The university called on its community to comply with attendance schedules, official working hours, and applicable regulations. 

The State of Qatar participated in the 17th meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee for the Council of Arab Health Ministers, in preparation for the 63rd regular session of the Council of Arab Health Ministers and its Executive Office, scheduled to be held during the period of Dec. 17-18.Qatar's delegation was headed by First Secretary at the Permanent Delegation of Qatar to the League of Arab States Ali Hussein Al Jarhab.The meeting agenda included several important health topics, foremost among them supporting the health sector in the State of Palestine, the successful and pioneering experiences of the Arab member states in the health fields, the follow up on developments regarding Arab strategies concerned with benefiting from the Arab health competencies of migrants in support of the health sectors in the Arab region 2026-2030, developing primary health care and family medicine 2026-2030, and making public health services available in the context of asylum and displacement in the Arab region.The meeting also addressed reports from various bodies of the Council of Arab Ministers of Health, namely: the Arab Authority for Blood Transfusion Services, the Arab Board of Health Specializations, and the Arab Center for Authorship and Translation of Health Science. It also followed up on the resolution issued by the Arab League Summit regarding investment in health human resources, and the resolution issued by the Arab League's Economic and Social Council regarding promoting the right to family planning in Arab countries, and analyzing the challenges and opportunities associated with declining fertility rates.The meeting addressed the unified statement of the Council of Arab Health Ministers before the 79th session of the World Health Assembly in Geneva in May 2026, which is scheduled to be delivered by the Minister of Health of the Kingdom of Bahrain, in addition to the first Arab Ministerial Forum for Health and Environment, the establishment of a regional Arab center for applied epidemiology, the follow-up on the work of the Arab Coordination Mechanism for Disaster Risk Reduction, the unification of Arab efforts to combat drugs, in addition to discussing financial matters related to the Arab Health Development Fund.The committee is scheduled to submit its recommendations on the topics on its agenda to the Executive Office, and then to the 63rd regular session of the Health Ministers' Council, to take the necessary decisions regarding them.

Hundreds killed in Sweida bloodshed in JulySuspects filmed several killingsSome later confessed, committee saysDruze deaths spark calls for justiceSyria has interrogated and detained members of its defence and interior ministries suspected of committing abuses against civilians in the predominantly Druze province of Sweida in July, the committee investigating the violence has said.Hundreds of people were killed in Sweida in violence that began between tribes and Druze factions but which worsened after Syrian troops were dispatched to the area. Bereaved relatives accused government forces of committing execution-style killings on camera.Syria appointed a committee to investigate the violence on July 31. Its spokesperson Ammar Izzedin told Syrian and regional media outlets on Tuesday night that members of both the interior and defence ministries had been questioned and referred to the judiciary over their suspected involvement in abuses.Izzedin declined to say how many personnel were detained, but said they were Syrian nationals who carried out the atrocities in an individual capacity.He told regional broadcaster Al-Hadath the committee had confronted the suspects with "the video footage in which they were seen" committing abuses without specifying what they were.Izzedin said the footage was "enough" as evidence since the fighters had filmed themselves, but that several had also confessed to committing the abuses after being shown the videos."They were detained by the interior and defence ministries to be transferred to the judiciary when the investigations are concluded to be publicly tried for the crimes they committed against Syrians," Izzedin said.He told local outlet Syria TV that the committee was keen to act swiftly to arrest the suspects even as it continued its investigative work. He did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for additional comment.Amnesty International urged Syrian authorities on Tuesday to hold members of government forces accountable for extrajudicial executions of Druze men and women on July 15 and 16 in Sweida.In March, Syria's military was accused of mass killings of members of the Alawite minority, to which much of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's ruling elite belonged.A Syrian government fact-finding committee said in July that 1,426 people had died in March in attacks on security forces and subsequent mass killings of Alawites, but concluded that commanders had not given orders for the revenge attacks.It said 298 suspects were linked to violations against Alawites and 265 involved in the initial attack on security forces, and said they had been referred to the judiciary.